Qetoreth refers to the fragrant smoke rising from the burning of specially compounded spices in Israelite worship. The term is closely tied to the tabernacle and temple cultus: Exodus 30:34-38 prescribes the exact recipe of stacte, onycha, galbanum, and pure frankincense, declaring it holy to YHWH and forbidden for personal use. The altar of incense (mizbeach miqtar qetoreth, Exod 30:1) stood before the veil of the Holy of Holies, and its daily offering morning and evening framed the liturgical day (Exod 30:7-8). Psalm 141:2 transforms the image into prayer: 'Let my prayer be set before you as incense.' The multilingual evidence is remarkably unified — English 'incense,' Spanish incienso, French encens, German Weihrauch — all pointing to a single sacred-aromatic sense without secondary secular usage.